LE CLASSIFICAZIONI MATRIMONIALI NELLA LETTERATURA INDIANA ANTICA

Abstract

This paper investigates the connections between different marriage classifications in Ancient Indian literature. I have considered passages not only from dharma works (dharmasūtras and dharmaśāstras), but also from works concerning artha (Kauṭilya-arthaśāstra), kāma (Vātsyāyana-kāmasūtra), domestic rituals (Āśvalāyana-gṛhyasūtra) and epic (Mahābhārata). The aim of the research is drawing up possible relationships and filiations between older and more recent classifications, recording the similarities, differences, and innovations from a textual and cultural perspective. The paper intends to show that, with the exception of a series of independent classifications, the author of Mānavadharmaśāstra innovates a well-established classification, firstly discussed by Gautama. Then, he proposes a new one, which becomes the canonical marriage classification of the later period.